Cup-dispensing device.



L. W. LUELLEN. CUP DISPENSING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19', 1909.

Patented Nov. 12, 1912.

I To all wimp it may concern:

LEN, a citizen of the United desirable to supply UNITED s ATEs PATENT ormca.

LAwnniwcE w. LUELLEN, or nnw'ronx, n. Y.

CUP-DISPENSIN G IDIE VIQE.

LAWRENCE W. LUEL- States, residing at New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York,-have invented a new and useful Cup-Dispensing Device, of which the following isa specification.

In certain places where .water or other fluids :are supplied as a beverage or .for the purpose of rinsing the mouth, as, for example, in the oflices of dentists, it is ditiicult even when the utmost care is exercised Beit known that I,

- to keep a drinking vessel in common use in an aseptic condition. For'this reason, it is each person with a clean individual. cup, and under the conditions mentioned it is unnecessary to specially guard against waste or misuse. i L The purpose of this invention is to pro vide a device of extreme simplicity .for storing a su ply of cups, in which they will be protecte against the accumulation of dirt and contamination by handling and which will always present a single cup ready for withdrawal. H

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a full side elevation of one embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lower extremity of the cup-receiving tube; Fig. 3 is a central vertical section therethrough; and Figs. 4 and 5 are similar views of other forms of my invention. Like. numerals are applied to similar parts throug out the several figures of the drawlngs. v

Upon a support or bracket 10, which may be arranged to stand upon or be secured to any convenient object, is mounted a tubular cup-receiver 11, preferably consisting of a metal or glass cylinder of considerable length'and occupying a substantially vertical position. The cups C designed for use with the device are of some thin, flexible materiah such as paraifin orother waterproof paper,;having their side walls tapermg or flaring outwardly to the larger open end which is shown surrounded by a flange 0. These are nested in a series one within another with the edges of thesucceeding cups se arated' by narrow spaces, and are laced. ottom down inthe elongated chamer furnished by the opening through the tube. This tube-opening is illustrated as cylindrical, and as its diameter is somewhat Specification of Letters Patent. Application med June 19, 1909. Serial No. soaoes.

* ends of. the

. the lower one depending PatentedNov. 12, 1912.

greater than the maximum diameter of the cups at the flanges, the latter are capable of moving freely .through it toward the delivery opening 12 at the lower extremit bove and immediately adjacent to the opening 12 is a reduced delivery passage 13 having preferably rigid walls fixed with "relation to the receiver, the diameter of which passage is less thanthat of the cup flanges. This passage may be length is such that when a cup is in engagement with the tube-wall near the upper portion of the passage the bottom of said cup will project from the device a suflicie nt distance to. be readily grasped by the user. Between the chamber and delivery passage is a tapered throat 14, at least a portion of which is of sufliciently small diameter to frictionally engage the cup-flanges. As particularly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the walls of. both the throat and delivery passage continuous, the active surface being provided by separate ribs 15, or it may be continuous, as appears in Figs 4 and 5. In either case, the surface contacting with the cup flanges offers such frictional resistance that the weight of the entire stack is balanced when a few of said flanges engage the throat and passage, but this should not be so great as to seriously impede the manual withdrawal of the terminal cup. The operation of the device needs little explanation. The nested cups are placed in the receiver-tube, as already described, with ing 12, and the top of the tube is closed by a cap or cover 16 to exclude dirt. When one wishes to use a cup, the projecting end is grasped and drawn downwardly, the flexible flange .and cup-walls'yielding to permit such movement. This takes away some of the supporting resistance and the stack sinks in the tube until equilibrium is restored. As the withdrawal continues and the weight of the. stack diminishes, the terminal. cup is positioned somewhat higher than at first but the difference is too slight to materially affect the operation, even in connect-ion with the last of the series, which contacts'with the tapered throat near the top but extends far enough below the tube to give a proper fingerhold. V

The cylindrical passage is not essential to the satisfactory operation of the device, it

may be circumferentially disthrough the openwherein the cup-retaining surfaces are being rather in the nature of a guard toprevent the weight of the stack from accidentally forcing out one or more of the lower cups.- It may thereforebe entirely omitted, or, as shown at 17 in Fig. 5, the tapered portion may be extended to the end of the tube, it being lengthened beyond what is actually necessary to support the stack. In this case it is, of course, essential that the delivery opening be of such diameter that the resistance to the withdrawal of the cups is not excessive; It would preferably be somewhat greater than the diameter of the cups at the juncture of the't'apered wall with the flange c. It is obvious, however, that when cups without flanges are employed, the diameter of the delivery opening may be slightly less than the maximum diameter of the cups.

In the form shown in Figs. 2 anddfi,

1scontinuous, the cups are caused to buckle or flex in a definite manner by contact with the abutments as they pass along; that .is, inwardly over the abutments and outwardly between them, thus tending to prevent any undesirable crack or fracture of the cup. In both of the illustrated forms of my invention it will also be seen that not only the lowermost cup of the stack, but one or more of the cups immediately above it normally project through the cup-retaining means, thus insuring the proper guiding of the successive cups to the desired position and preventing them from becoming caught or held in an inaccessible position.

, It-is obvious that many modifications and changes may be made in my invention from the forms specifically shown and described herein and I do not mean to limit myself to these particular forms, but

'What I claim and desire to secure by'Letters Patent is I 1'. In a dispensing device, the combination with a receiving chamber having a delivery opening and being normally closed except at said opening, of a stack of nested cups in said chamber and retaining means en-' gaging a plurality of said cups andsupporting the stackso that one or more cups pro-. ject from said chamber so as to be grasped for removal therefrom.

2. A dispensing device for nested'paper cups; comprising a receiving chamber having a delivery opening and'being normally, closed except at said opening, means adjacent saidiopening and adapted to engage the lower cup of the stack for holding it normally in a position where it and the next succeeding cup of the stack project beyond the grippmg means, thus insuring the successive guiding of all of the cups to operative 'position.

3. In a device for dispensing nested flexible cups, a receiving chamber for said cups having a delivery opening at the lower end thereof through which said cups are adapt ed successively to project, and gripping means arranged and proportioned so that the nest of cups is retained in the receiver with the lowermost cup projecting there from through the delivery opening by means of the combined resistance to flexure 'of a.

plurality of said cups.

4. In a device for dispensing paper cups, the combination with a holder for a stack of cups having a delivery opening, in weirdly-projecting members adjacent said opening and adapted to engage a plurality of said cups while permitting a'port-ion thereof to project through said :delivery openlng.

5'. A cups comprising a verticallyrarranged receivmg chambernormally closed except-afar a delivery opening at the loweinend thereof. said chamber having an internal diameter greater than the maximum diameter-zbf the cups, ing abutments adapt-ed tO-enga'geandfieX in a predeterminedmanner the bottom cups of the stack .as they are withdrawn.

delivery device for nested paper I and a plurality of spaced ciip retain- 6. In a dispensing-device, for paper cups,-

the combinationwith a receivin chamber having a delivery opening and being normally .olosed except at said opening, of means adjacent said opening engagingiahd holding said cups so that the lower outer portion of the terminal cup is exposed for withdrawal bottom first, and its rim is within the fdelivery opening.

Signed at New York, (borough of Man h'attan), in the county and State of New York, this 15th day of June, 1909;

LAWRENCE W. LUELLEN. Witnesses:

SADIE SMITH, HENRY O. DUMMER. 

